‘The Ethics of the Face to Face Encounter: Schroeder, Levinas, and the Glance EDWARD S. CASEY ‘Stony Brak Unieity baer, et i Ema ei tit ‘The wee aoa pfn 0 nine sin the Infineon cn he i Seca ae Gand Intoduction Abad Ground: Levinas, Hisar and Vises ppcaed in 196, and am leew draw tention to this exeorinary tert a decide later Isl ap rach tar muchbyindtecon ty alluon snd ieaon —as se reading. bur tis des not mean that Iam any les prone to py homage cot On the eontay eis inking this text 0 certain ex by Levinas to some eaten concens of my on tht il honor i "et me sya few words byway of ineduston abou Alaed Ground ile isa rat and simey contribution: rare, because ice only ee English or any language know of shat epliiy poe questions of hi tory and violence inthe fcriath of Levinas, ime because these same _queions ae a0 pring rds inte we not just of Levinas work ba of ‘construction and postnedersiam more general, Whats vince? What Torms dos tke To whom sie done? How ic related vo histor vest, ‘tony major one ach athe Holocaust or Vin o lag ba 0 many ‘ongoing daly evens the huilition and sight thar so many must abet ‘0 for most of ther ves? What isthe telaion af ich undeniable historical olenc, sch awa to ethics tha ow shoud happen justice and toednes? These are qutions ken up lily and purus sigh ‘Aaed Ground “This dngelar book pur numberof eating Sten philowphy into convection wich each eter—and withthe author him, whe manages ‘we pLuRALieT Vlumes NunkeSpg tlm 76-97 ™ LeASEY The Face Fae Encounter * lly to cen sere sheatiom pilphicum in which comple ideas Come live and enter ino intense dialog. Two hupereare dete tn Plato, ‘special his conape of imagination and ofthe go beyond bing” Heel esis sustained eetmet in four chaps in which malian, b> solute knowledge, and the contrat betwen dre and infinity ae discus vith both scuracy and fir Hekeggers thinking about unconcealdnes, Fundamental ontology. nothingness, and leg be ate given ince teat mens Throghout, Dera and Nienache gore a stow ite, with Mereau-Pony, Adorno, Gadhmerand Deewte and Gusta speaking fom the sidelines, “Among the pimary usa kein his groundbrcking book are the ‘ature of ethic space (spec se i configure nthe fe tfc el ‘onl the ehinking of tis ented by such pac; he character file (arcu the volence that stems from cern characteristic Western onerpulif;the role ofthe Other in ration wo ones new sense of | Infinity the incleaton of jase the place of region afer Niece and evn and Alize (hence the aa” in Aired Ground an ahove all the fae ofthe ides of gro ie related to 3 new seni of subj ityin the postmodern (Scoeder prefers ty "poxometapcl) er. As Sthreder proclaims athe Beginning ofthe wet: ‘Whats propo ian inerogionno the lation wee th phil wrlislcomapn e'geind ad objecig sod lees Specialy wha a ie the lation bw ini ands iy the determination ofthe ngin fees ard thas the posty ‘fa nonuling gondii Gnesi) raion that prorat troy of ti es pri gy fhe Eli men ‘And, nds in every chapter of his challenging book, the tension bersen the iepacable but problemataed human sujet andthe equally prob lematc wound provide by the umn other aid bre and probed For this reason, Ihave decided wo foc on that elation berween and ther, hich the set oe if: theif ration das the unique ane indispensable rene of such ile propettimprope eit he berth thie emerge ons etic “Alto Grown ean exended mediation onthe ground of ethics and (oy impiation and somes expres) pols, Reftsing the monolic sound of reson fund in Aros Ncmachee Eoin Ken py ‘ned “Groundwork af he Metaphysics of Mora,” Schroder navigates76 ‘THe PLURALISE 1:1 2006 through the vial Sarguto So of confsion hat ha all but cued pre ‘ur echicl thought in the Wes. In a ingeniously named erie of chapters that ange fo ForGround o Back Ground, UnderGround odeoGrotnd, “MysiGround ro TiantGround, and DisGround to HypeGround, Schroeder _demonstrates bythe very hyperophy of groundings ental bythe tel ‘ladon tht thee ie no single Ground of thi, eat fala rational ground that ea lai compl concepeul coherence But he doce ot lene ina ‘endesedy ther by theend ofthe book, we are onthe high and open se ‘of chastened and chifed hinkng about the things tha mateo and ‘violence, the good andthe js sland othe, person and God, chology hd apocalypse These topic ie ground in both sees ofthis ambiguous “xpresion) fo vion of postmetphysical courage and rigor, vision i which philsophy finds renewed inspiration bond deconsrctonsdis- solusions and posimodern disilwions. “Taking it in at Glance ‘When ee someone in dies pin osfeing of any kind, mene at well apie el neal obliged. Obed, fs of al ro take otc, tnd obliged a wal oak action if his pertinent or hp, Hw much of ‘hil ie pivot on thi pristine perepion of die i rly discus by ‘hic, who tend o rept ara merely prcliinary momenta pede ‘ropes action, something that pred prinipled conduc a mater of mere prhension’ and nota be conned with the "comprehension tha bing stihl person entails The tas npc argument argument hat |r climented iain mach of our commonsense though sour bing chilis that itis one thing wo observes situation of des, bt quite nother thing to think abou it much es to act ont. We preset the relation resides elewhere: eg in consideration of principe, memory of fst actions, and inthe Four scion tha Being called forth ‘Au eT woul kee him tht this supposedly minor momen con- ‘ans ihe acl orbyadumbraion, the entiey ofthe ei pheno enon Ie isa moment of “the word of pure experience" in Wiliam James ‘erm, ands sch olds wihin lf potentially the whole ofthc if The first moment i already the subsequent momen: apprekension i ready comprehension; perepon teflon and no some dumb begining “it byleginnig yen” And want take further stp and auc tha hie momen iil condensed inti singular aii that often, which Seite ip Ase The Fae Fe Encounter ” pare exiguus characte iscapable of beating etic matron it slender shoulders. Afterall, we doa inthe word aa glance, we know wheneve ‘welt our look fit aos the sic of things onder opin a vesping slogether momentary view of hem. The glances coy iced with what ‘och Kirkegaard and deel the momen ison, the Agen, ‘when mean Took” once” ital sey lated o what ser tls the “source poin” and Jame he “sale bak” of the present. Al four ‘hikers conjoin in regeting the pret moment as onan, as0pen and extended, a capable of enveying conten of unlimited expansivens, Ieisasifthe ver concentration, the fc, provided bythe present moment slloed it be the purveyor ofl that we experience 'A ths moment she Archimeian pine of out temporal experience, so the glance isthe fulcrum of bil if Ie ia ie very mesgeres tt Stu ara mere perphenomenon.” its very advantage Fortin merly {ancing dae we kein the ethical equivalent ofwhac Dewey woul cll the [problematic seston.” We do thir so Fequeniy and 9 wnndennaiousiy {that we ely pase consider ager igs Glancing Diffrenely youre as sheila imagine you may be rgaing what have sid 0 far, consiera ev cs in point. encounter woman on «plane that ising ‘erween Cheng, China, and Las, Tibet. She snap advanced sate oF ‘rippling dies, perkape mull ers. Her tied body moves only vith rest dficul, bu she insias on moving hers Se walks down the le rong hen on acane at ach ep Her glance engages mine, and in ‘hat brief moment (whi have nee forgoce) I perce herder need fr support om othe, ee her prod deface of thi se support log ashe can walk on her wn. his case, thei nothing Lean do {xcept lok back sympathy and elie that T have ben ut on ethi rote have gasped human iy and moral mine wells my Flow Penge’ and Ihave Ben seminded of th act theta some pin in ie, ‘ch of wil quire the concrete asinanceof hers (Orta less melodramatic xe, hat of happening upon tw collegues Inet pute, One scr ata income nur at pact thy ae re-mcting ae ancient que. Here my own intervention inde led fo and yc imereede (in my capaci a end a wea chairman of my (eas juseanocher verson of ounelver our race, pede, maton, langage, ‘motes and apprehend thse others radially oer not sible (orto sre roumAusr 11 2006 ot assinilable only) to the eveled-down cateores of history, cols, yhology, and of previous chic dheriesthemuches We come ap aaa the others as deeply disparate from ourselves, 5 metaphysical diferent, a the Different lf Rearing te others, no dsp oncuson in ‘generic tems i pone iach derpio or inlson is amped ee Tenamoun to mizepresntation andthe very baie of injusice aa mat, “These later represent the inevitable outcome of gimenting the oes Jno onolgial vers chat alays alto the arclar oer ith whom am confontd ina given circumstance terms such white mae alec ‘al"*Mansit female” "migra labore" Tee a these re hisorially (Gand ese as iemay be vo use them for rate pit purpose) thy sist ely he specifiy ofthe encounter with what Kiskepud led, prophedaly, ihr individual "To do juice to the thane which ie 1h jie, pid, for Levnas—I mst own up to somthing at once prior ‘nd parca This isthe ater ae (se Ethics then, residesin the fic t fae encounter ne unguded ope res and wansparency in ts brupe acta, For only then sd heed find the other as Othe, xing in aeparation rom me even awe hare the face and fate of ing members ofthe same species Facing the Oxher is ths facing up to the Orhers uanscendenee ohio er etal 0 Iedrawn int the web ofthe Same, roe alert every ep A Schroeder shows so illuminating in lured Ground his ev cs encounter ink te be confaed with the anxious engagement with ones wn nahingoess, ‘ned uncanny ck of lime Foundation, onc hownnes int the word (62-94) Inpaveuly thsengagement poser clesces that pelades sci reation; "What does ie mea os sk Scoeder, "that one it thew have fc ofc relionhip' wth that which dws ner havea ace (Ges the nothing) (9) Scronderpurrdatioship” inc sete quotes fonder indicat that thet i genie eatin her: Sar igh put it one sone own aodhingns (this i pros why one 0 anguished veri), wheter ration i berwen dinpishable ems howeve casly connected they may be, AsLcvinas ty hime lation implcs ems, Substantive. eas them 0 be coordinate, but alo independent ced in Schroer 99). Ths ut what happen inthe face wo ce encounter snd he Other are independent aac her, meapysiely “xp” et Wwe are intemal engaged thi very moment. “The tame an the ener a the ame ime maintain themsces in rdationship and ebb theses of | ‘his elation. remain absolutely separate” (Levinas, Tuyo) In ober ‘wor, Levinas wants have both ways, not base teaser ope: ‘casey: The Fae Fae Encounter ® ses me sor of compromise Gs the opps), bu bas hs the ‘er charccr ofthe ee relation fl. A Schroer py pri “Ech, the welcoming ofthe Ono by the sl, only scampi trogh he ‘ogi and mantras of he rail diuncon of mead thc, bjt and obj” 7). ‘rainy ove one uncanny drowns inthe wo i here not sts when I encoun the Othe fe fom hi er term inne of bing anon or malsing my fear (bs espe and Srte woud clam) and thus for pesoal empowerment ths ence te puts men debe othe Other and maker me rele my reponsiity fer that Other In shor, am pcl in an nenily plo” poon inhi I must make snd tothe Ores cil ot exp fr noc ving done mort ep shat th. Ics cumstance of "whe aye {5 of prin a Levinas comes cl cin Ore han Bang te fiom sor eqsiny-nt otha mate feria ake ‘Tenant thor fe or hen am rough pas be ‘rker nora press a Gy achum opal of qual sanding but Ssincommensunbl a onerng et me alts oer high” This rks urige and dos no submit toh reer snd plaids folie ited of consoling elf ino something onepualy ‘rior coher, safc beeogeeos—not je me ba ‘ther Others el Ty Schroders wor no end eT, sth in acknowldgng herr his clo renounce ll ems ries thar impinge upon tha ral feof nn teprd or Sarvel: isthe Och aod the finer sich pation o tans” 00 Tacs note whee wear Our be ple temas Ard Grund hich is pein in dtndon of he peptic a wel ay the seg of Lasik onthe fet ce tin. On the one Bad hs aon ‘wings out inh sje he i wine ofthe Ore, ana sense of higion an jue of dita tanscndece oan th Goo hich teed only inthe feof the Osher Shor esa iy and ‘ene the eff he Othe] wa pp fortran clo ‘pom fr these of he Oe. This oblgon towards the One thecling imo qo ofthe edo ofthe, sional cl tncompehend the other” (9). The esque of eo nd rant to made in dhe mun ofthe atonomous bjt but Based presi in the jes tron, flan onthe Oe to st he terms of the «thal ion, Thi undo mode sown gare of nancising ‘hesbjn atthe egese of te Other, wher is Oe be the alonea rie ruumauier 151 2006 te fen Earpe og the ier gendcred Yak’ th Orbea inerrant, he Oe nfs "herengencos mui” ttoalag scm Ben apd ie). Now the Othe sgh ot js “rope or ight coin’ bu omehing mich more poe than thew moder concetosin the ue of wea. nae ome of ‘cumopaliania “The Othe endowed with a Goodns that blogs ont the Other ‘thr, cme dite only nde Oder nan onl These py ewurpotapsin mnpin fhe agra cman ie fe an | casey: The Fae Fae Encounter 9” ‘tes pee pe bt it itor he He tn comin ‘Meet cnn Tay ad neyo wh Lise 10 Tis Lets hme, 1 Ons panng meee Lavin Ore 9 1 lia eth ogi cbt pe "nga pnd”) 1, Sete pen ih prio exes nich paraiso ier ao on labia he or To pote aioe oi nthe niin Schade a es “Ther appa oe a nr xin resem eo ian The Ores occ caportaon by Cag te ser S.A tom Mela Rye Da edd of oon wp {ete oad chi (Dee ede te pols of inne ei a ‘na ong) Sl ind gad Bako Tae ise oni hewn eng witht ae pte skp nln Annecy Fre ome, che nnn ‘fe same wo the err nthe verse unde by Levin) pure ence Only + [cen ecb in dine Be pl oberon ree Cay Eda “De Teo te Glace” Boi Eb Gr Hc NX gs Che" Chim, EF na Ln Lk Aa Deri es Spb nd Phone. Tas. 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